Chamberlain University Week 1 Social Factors Discussion & Replies

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There are many factors that make people healthy or ill.  This week we will focus on the social factors and determinants that impact health.

It is time to get out into your community!

Go online to the U.S. Census Bureau at https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/ (Links to an external site.) (*note, you will be using this website in the Week 2 assignment, so you can get started on collecting all the required data if desired)

Input your local zip code, city, or county. Try to get as specific data as possible (city, township, county).

  • Next, identify the:

Total population

Median income

Percentage or number of persons living in poverty

  • Go to your local grocery store, use a flyer, or app. Include the stores name, city, and state. Identify cost for the following items (please note whether items are organic):
  • 1 gallon of milk

1 loaf of bread

  • 1 bag of apples (include price per pound)
  • 1 bag of carrots
  • 1 large container of yogurt
  • 1 2-liter of soda

1 bag of chips

  • 1 package of cookies
  • Utilizing the data collected, discuss social factors that might impact what groceries are purchased. Try to be as specific to your community as possible (location, availability, poverty levels, etc.).
  • Discuss how a community health nurse (CHN) could use one of the 17 intervention categories from the Public Health Intervention Wheel to address areas of food security (Nies & McEwen, 2019).
  • In your responses to classmates, include comparisons and contrasting information.
  • Your discussion post should look like:
  • Paragraph one: Utilizing the data collected, discuss a social factor that might impact what groceries are purchased. Try to be as specific to your community as possible (location, availability, poverty levels, etc.)
  • Paragraph two: Utilizing the data collected, discuss another social factor that might impact what groceries are purchased. Try to be as specific to your community as possible (location, availability, poverty levels, etc.)
  • Paragraph three: Discuss how a community health nurse (CHN) could use one of the 17 intervention categories from the Public Health Intervention Wheel to address areas of food security
  • Resources: Where did you find your data
  • hi am attaching the classsmates replysJenny; I live in Prince William County in Virginia. The total population of Prince William County is 484,473 persons with a median income of $107,707 and a persons of poverty percentage of 4.9%. Healthy People (2020) state that “social determinants of health reflect the social factors and physical conditions of the environment in which people are born, live, learn, play, work and age.” Therefore, a social factor that may impact what groceries are determined may be income in Prince William County. As the median salary in the county is $107,707, people have access to many more options as the their income allows. Healthy food is more expensive than unhealthy foods hence why people are able to shop at places that provide organic and fresh produce like Whole Foods or Mom’s and live a more healthier lifestyle. But lately with the inflation, prices of items have increased exponentially, making it harder to shop in these types of stores. Another social factor that may determine what types of groceries are purchased may be education level. In Prince William County, there are 89.2% of persons age 25 years + who are a high school graduate or higher. The national percentage is 88.5%, which still makes Prince William County “above average.” Education is key in how one determines what to buy at the grocery store. In an article titled “Education moderates the association between supermarket environment and diet,” Vogel et al. (2017) concluded that “mothers with low educational attainment showed greater susceptibility to less healthful in-store environments than mothers with higher educational attainment who may be protected by greater psychological and financial resources.” With education one is able to read and understand the labels which then they can determine what may be good or harmful to the body. More knowledge is allows one to make better choices. A community health nurse can use the outreach part of the Public Health Intervention Wheel to address areas of food security. By locating the at risk groups/individuals in the community, the nurse can coordinate outreach events to educate them on how to eat healthy and provide resources on where one can access food such as a food bank. If no such food bank is available, the nurse could assist with filling out forms to get food stamps so one could purchase the food. If language is a barrier during such outreach event, translation services can be provided to close the gap on the barriers that are preventing these individuals from getting access to food. Being able to implement successful outreach events are critical as food is a necessity to an individual. Shenavia:My zip code is 36612, the Mobile City in Alabama. The population data for April 2020 retrieved from the United States Census Bureau website shows that the Mobile City of Alabama had 187, 041 residents. The population was estimated to reduce to 184, 952 by July 2021 based on the population change trends (Census.gov, 2021). The data also shows that the population has decreased even further from 187, 041 in 2020 and 195,111 in 2010. Contrary to the expectation that the population would rise, the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama, a non-profit making organization whose objective is to conduct unbiased, objective, and independent research established that the number of people moving out of Mobile City, Alabama exceeds those that come in or are born. The median income for the residents of Mobile City in Alabama was $43,456 in 2020. The median income was way below the national average of $64,994 for the same period. In the same income and poverty, data shows that there are 20.1% living in poverty in Mobile City, Alabama compared to 11.4% of poor people in the U.S. (Census.gov, 2021). As such, it is evident that Mobile City’s poverty level is above the national average.   Food prices at Pinebrook Shopping Center in Mobile City, Alabama showed that 1 gallon of milk (regular) costs $4.62, 1 loaf of bread (500g) costs $2.82 and 1kg bag of apples costs $5.54 (2.51 per pound). 1kg bag of carrots costs $3.48 ($1.57 per pound), and 1 large container of organic yogurt (500 grams/17.637 ounces/1.24 pints) cost $4.1. One 2-liter code soda bottle cost $2.24, 1 bag of organic potato chips costs $3.98, and the cost of peanut butter cookies is $4.5. According to the Pinebrook Shopping Center attendant and as indicated in the pricelist flyer, the prices are bound to change anytime based on market dynamics.            The high poverty level compared to the average national poverty level is one of the major social affecting what groceries are purchased in Mobile City. Based on the U.S. Census Bureau data for 2021, 20.1% of Mobile City, Alabama residents lived in poverty compared to 11.4% of the Americans who have been ranked as poor. Following the reported poverty level in Mobile City in Alabama, it is evident that twenty out of every one hundred people strain to meet their basic needs due to poverty. According to Tully and Sharma (2022), the type of lifestyle that a person or a household adopts is dictated by the income earned or the wealth that has been accumulated. In this regard, a high poverty level means that the financial capacity of purchasing healthy foods and groceries is significantly reduced in Mobile City, Alabama. Kanakaratne et al. (2020) describe organic foods, fruits, and vegetables as healthy foods that people should adopt in meal plans. However, due to the high prices of these products, low-income earners hardly afford such products and would alternatively buy low-quality and mostly unhealthy products which are cheaper and readily available.Although the Mobile City, Alabama Census of Agriculture report of 2017 shows that the city undertakes diverse agricultural activities, population change and migration pattern is a social factor that also affects what groceries are purchased. The 2017 Census of Agriculture report by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) shows that Mobile City, Alabama does both crop and livestock farming. Crop farming is at 89%, and farming for poultry, livestock, and affiliate products is at 11% in Mobile City, Alabama. The data shows that locally produced groceries are available for local consumers and for selling outside the Mobile City as the population continues to reduce.